World’s first 3D-printed helmet — bespoke, safe and rather expensive

Barry Kraakman

10 November 2018

Nowadays it is normal for most cyclists to wear a helmet — and thank goodness for that. Helmets protect an important and vulnerable part of our body, but even though we can choose from an almost innumerable variety of them, we still have to comply with standardised sizes. Until now.

Hexo Helmets

We can customise almost every cycling accessory to match our own body these days. For example, we can order cycling shoes that are made to measure. Also, in the world of bicycle frames, it’s nothing new to have personalised sizes. But when it comes to protecting one of the most vulnerable parts of the body — our head — we still have to conform to standardised dimensions. The only form of personalisation available is perhaps in choosing extra protection or a unique design. Hexo Helmets now brings us the next logical step in the helmet industry: the custom-made helmet. No head is the same; why should helmets be?

Fitting

Just like with a custom-made bike frame, you have to go for a fitting is also needed for the Hexo. To ensure that the helmet fits seamlessly onto your head, a 3D scan of the skull is made. And this happens faster than you might think: Hexo has developed a way that allows detailed scanning of the contours of the skull with just an iPad and a separate camera.

Unique in all areas

After the 3D model has been created, it can be put into production. A 3D printer first prints the core of the helmet — the hexagonal cells that form this core provide the right firmness and distribute potential impact well. The Hexo also meets all safety requirements set for bicycle helmets. And it even exceeds those in some areas.

The shield that goes on top of the helmet’s core can be personalised, and it completes the product. The design is also quite aerodynamic, as the helmet tested to be 7s faster than aero products from helmet makers Giro and Kask over a distance of 40km. Hexo has entered into a partnership with TotalSim to develop their helmet’s aerodynamic shape — TotalSim was a partner of the Great Britain Cycling Team in the field of aerodynamics during the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games.

Thanks to sufficient ventilation and the use of polyamide — a synthetic polymer — the helmet ventilates up to 8 times better than the material regular helmets are made of.

Reserve one?

Interested? This helmet might leave you with an empty wallet. For the time being fittings are only carried out in and around London, and the helmet costs about €400, excluding a €60 reservation cost. We hope to see this measurement method available soon at a bicycle repair shop in our neighbourhood.

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